The divorce between the LFP and its official diffuser opens a period of financial and legal turbulence, with major consequences for clubs and supporters.
The Professional football League acted the end of its collaboration with Dazn as soon as the current season is closed, marking the failure of the negotiations initiated for several weeks. This unilateral decision, immediately disputed by the streaming platform, risks trigging a long litigation before the courts. The issues are colossal: the contract binding the two parties represents 400 million euros per year for the broadcast of eight games per day of the championship.
Dazn, who accuses the LFP of lack of transparency and non-compliance with commitments, would require nearly 573 million euros in damages. For its part, the League requires the payment of the remaining sums, i.e. 140 million euros by June, as well as an estimated rupture compensation between 110 and 125 million. Tensions were predictable after the payment delays recorded at the start of the year, despite a regulation ultimately honored.
This crisis highlights the structural difficulties of the television rights market in France. While the English, Spanish or German championships garner billions of euros, Ligue 1 is struggling to seduce the broadcasters, undermined by calamitous previous like the Mediapp episode. The clubs, already weakened, fear a drastic drop in their income, likely to lead to massive sales of players and a competitive decline.
The question of the broadcast of future matches remains whole. No credible buyer has yet been manifested, and the option of an internal chain, defended by certain leaders, seems economically risky. In the immediate future, the supporters could find themselves without a lasting solution to follow their championship, accentuating the disenchantment around a loss competition.
This new crisis illustrates the profound gashes of governance of French football, unable to secure a viable economic model. Between judicial recourse and chaotic negotiations, the future of Ligue 1 darkens a little more, with repercussions that could last for years.
